Saudi, Jordan kings meet on Palestinian issue

Tue, 01/05/2010 - 16:45 EDT - France24.com - Business

King Abdullah II of Jordan and Saudi King Abdullah discussed the Palestinian problem on Tuesday, the official news agency SPA said, amid a swirl of regional diplomacy aimed at restarting Middle East peace talks."During the meeting they discussed the overall situation in the Arab world, particularly developments in the Palestinian case and efforts to achieve peace in the region," SPA said.The Jordanian leader's one-day visit came in the wake of visits to regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.

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King Abdullah II of Jordan and Saudi King Abdullah discussed the Palestinian problem on Tuesday, the official news agency SPA said, amid a swirl of regional diplomacy aimed at restarting Middle East peace talks."During the meeting they discussed the overall situation in the Arab world, particularly developments in the Palestinian case and efforts to achieve peace in the region," SPA said.The Jordanian leader's one-day visit came in the wake of visits to regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.

One of the most vocal disputes in the Middle East may be coming to an end in a way that could have implications for the broader region.
Qatar, which had been supporting the deposed Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, has recently sent signals it wants to achieve a rapprochement with the regime of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas was to begin a two-day visit to Turkey on Sunday to discuss troubled efforts to end the Middle East conflict, officials said.Abbas was expected to arrive in Ankara Sunday afternoon and meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, before talks Monday with President Abdullah Gul, an official from Gul's press office said.The leaders will "discuss and consult on ... bilateral ties, the latest situation in Palestine and regional developments, primarily the Middle East peace process," a statement from the presidential palace said.

On Friday, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen visited Jordan’s greatest tourist marvel — the ancient sandstone city of Petra, immortalized in popular culture as the place where Indiana Jones found the Holy Grail — they were wrapping up a visit that seemed a mere coda to his Israeli tour.

ANALYSIS
Nobody in Israel or the West Bank doubts U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s commitment to restarting negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The question thought, after Kerry announced that officials from both sides will meet in Washington within the next two weeks, is whether the Israeli and Palestinian publics, and their leaders, want it as much as Kerry does.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Saturday that his secular Fatah movement would meet its Islamist rival Hamas only after the hardline faction signs an Egypt-sponsored reconciliation deal."When Hamas signs the reconciliation, there will immediately be a meeting with (Hamas leader) Khaled Meshaal, between Fatah and Hamas, and between all the factions to apply what is contained in the Egyptian document," Abbas told reporters after meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal has arrived in Turkey, the NTV news channel reported on Wednesday, a day after Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas began a four-day visit.Meshaal was currently in Istanbul, NTV said, adding that it was not immediately clear whether he would meet with Abbas.Turkish foreign ministry officials contacted by AFP would not comment.Abbas arrived in Ankara Tuesday afternoon as Palestinian officials reported disagreements between his Fatah faction and Hamas over the formation of a unity government.

Secretary of State John Kerry worked Monday to corral Israeli and Palestinian leaders into a new and ambitious peace process that includes reviving parts of a long-dormant plan embraced by the Arab world a decade ago, officials said.
The 2002 initiative that Kerry wants to revive parts of would have provided Israel recognition throughout the Arab world in exchange for a pullout from territory conquered in 1967.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Wednesday the PLO Executive Committee will decide at the weekend whether to go ahead with indirect peace talks with Israel."Now we can't say yes or no. The Palestinian leadership will meet on Saturday and decide and say its final word," Abbas said in a statement after meeting Jordan's King Abdullah II."After that, we will inform (US Middle East envoy George) Mitchell whether we are ready to start the negotiations."

Khaled Meshaal, the exiled leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, began a visit to Iran on Sunday, Mehr news agency reported.Meshaal was to meet with top officials including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the agency said.A Hamas statement from Meshaal's Damascus headquarters said the visit was part of a regional tour, but gave no further details.Iran has been a staunch supporter of Hamas since the movement won Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, though Tehran says its aid does not extend to military arms and training, as Israel has alleged.